THE Patriotic Front (PF) inaugural national congress is mired in confusion as some delegates have discovered that PF president Michael Sata has a list of preferred members of the central committee.

Mr Sata’s list has caused consternation among the delegates a day before elections scheduled for today, well-placed sources in the convention disclosed.

“The list has too many newcomers, some of whom joined the PF 48 hours before the convention,” the sources said.

The PF leader is known for closely associating himself with charlatans. Former Chongwe member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo is said to be on the list.

The discovery of the list has angered party faithfuls who are now openly questioning Mr Sata’s style of leadership.

Some delegates at the convention have described Mr Sata’s schemes to sideline the people who have strongly remained faithful to the party as a disaster.

The members feel that Mr Sata has dealt a blow to the party by preferring newcomers to assume senior positions.

The sources say there is pandemonium at Mulungushi Rock of Authority, with delegates demanding that new members should not be allowed to run for any position.

The members are saying Mr Sata should just have called for a press conference to announce his central committee members, rather than asking the delegates to ‘attend this sham of a convention.’

Another delegate said the PF’s first convention is nothing but window-dressing because Mr Sata, who is the PF leader, is already a presidential candidate.

The delegate said a true democratic congress does not choose a presidential candidate before seeking the mandate of the general membership of a political organisation.

“Mr Sata is a presidential candidate for the PF in the tripartite elections. So, why would he want to go to the convention and what would he do if he is challenged and loses the party presidency? It is a sham and we should not be proud of this,” one of the delegates said.

And ZANGOSE CHAMBWA reports that Matero member of Parliament Faustina Sinyangwe says the confusion that has characterised the PF convention is a clear indication that there is no democracy in the party.

Ms Sinyangwe said the decision by Mr Sata to attempt to replace Inonge Wina with Chongwe member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo as party chairperson for women’s affairs clearly shows that he has no respect for democracy.

“The PF will even be more confused after the convention because no one will be elected democratically as Mr Sata has already identified the people he wants to work with. The so-called delegates attending the convention have gone to the convention to endorse the people Mr Sata has chosen,” Ms Sinyangwe said.

She also said the outcome of the conference will be undemocratic. Ms Sinyangwe said the PF leader will still emerge as president of the party despite having lined up some people to challenge him.

She said the convention will not yield anything positive for the PF because Mr Sata has personalised the party and the position of party president.

“There is nothing new that will come out of the convention because Mr Sata does not value democracy. I have worked with him before and I know what kind of a leader he is,” she said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

The Zambia Direct Democracy Movement ( ZDDM ) says it wants to introduce the principle of “unity in diversity” in politics when voted into power.

ZDDM National Coordinator Edwin Sakala said its with this objective that his party wants to contest this year’s elections.

He said this in a statement obtained by ZANIS in Lusaka , today.

Mr. Sakala has explained that his party was determined to introduce Direct Democracy which he says will facilitate the much needed political change Zambia needs.
” It is high time we realized that their several modes of democracies which the continent can really on.

” Our former colonial masters encouraged multi-party politics because they want people to waste time in bickering and fighting for power,” he said in the statement.

The ZDDM National Coordinator said bickering and fighting has always been the fertile ground for division which in the end work to the advantage of the colonial master. He said Zambia is in ruin because of multiparty politics.

” Our former colonial masters encouraged multi-party politics because they want people to waste time in bickering and fighting for power,” he said in the statement.

He said although multiparty politics has brought freedom of expression, it is this very free speech which is causing people spending time in quarreling at the expense of development.

” For as long as multiparty democracy continues, we shall never see unity. As ZDDM we believe that UNIP laid a foundation stone with its one party participatory democracy and MMD has given Zambians a chance to sample multi party democracy which has only served to divide the nation and to promote politics of hate and tribalism, ” Mr Sakala said.

The party’s National Coordinator maintained that his party wants to introduce Direct Democracy which is a cross breed of the two political systems which the nation has already tested.

The party has meanwhile invited all Members of Parliament wishing to serve the nation at council and parliamentary level to apply on its ticket.

Mr. Sakala bragged that ZDDM is the only alternative to the current government saying all the other political parties are fighting to get into State House while ZDDM is determined to ensure that the current shallow and useless politics have to come to an end.

” We want Zambian politicians for a change to work together and debate real issues objectively instead of the current situation where each party waits to get into power before bringing out their ideas,” he said.

[ ZANIS ]

Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has been re-elected unopposed as president at the party’s first convention since its formation in 2001 and has predicted that this year’s general elections will be held on 27th August.

This comes as the country still awaits the announcement of the elections date by President Rupiah Banda.

MUVI TV’s reports that Mr Sata says he has been reliably informed that the polls were initially set for 11th August before being shifted to 27th August.

The outspoken opposition leader was speaking today when officially opening the PF national convention at Mulungushi University, in Kabwe.

At least 3,500 delegates are attending the convention, during which the party will also elect its national leadership.

Meanwhile, journalists from the public media have been barred from covering the convention.

And Mr Sata has accused government of misusing the public media.

He has told the PF convention that public media has lost its vision of informing, educating and entertaining.

Meanwhile, first republican president, Kenneth Kaunda was among several dignitaries, who attended the official opening of the PF convention.

Others were the ambassadors from Britain and the United States of America.

[ MUVI ]

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia says it is disappointed with the Patriotic Front (PF) for barring journalists from the State-owned media.

Journalist from the state owned media, namely Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, were barred from covering the party’s first General Conference, which begun today in Kabwe.

MISA Zambia chairperson Daniel Sikazwe says that while his organizations appreciates the reservation that the PF has with the reporting of the State-owned media that should not be reason enough to bar them from covering the PF General Conference, which has attracted lots of interest from all sections of society in the country.

Mr. Sikazwe says that the research indicates that the barring of the journalists from the State-owned media has been endorsed from high up in the PF hierarchy.

He says that his organization condemns the selective accreditation of journalists to all public functions because it amounts to censorship.

Mr. Sikazwe has since appealed to the PF leadership to immediately rescind its decision and to permit the State-owned media to cover this historical General Conference.

He says that MISA hopes that the PF leadership will heed to the advice and do the right thing for the sake of democracy and freedom of the press, which the PF professes uphold dearly.

Meanwhile, Patriotic front leader Michael Sata has revealed that the patriotic front will ensure that it puts in place mechanisms that will prevent the MMD from rigging the elections.

PF leader Michael Sata says that the patriotic front will not allow the MMD to rig the elections in any way.

[pullquote]Mr. Sikazwe says that the research indicates that the barring of the journalists from the State-owned media has been endorsed from high up in the PF hierarchy.[/pullquote]

Mr. Sata says that the PF will among other this deploy a number of election monitors in most parts of the country.

Mr. Sata speaking today at the opening of the PF general conference in Kabwe stated that the PF is geared and ready for the election.

Mr. Sata has further called for democracy at the PF national convention.

And Mr. Sata has stated that the MMD government has failed to run the affairs of the country.

Mr. Sata says that says that Zambians should vote wisely as the date of the elections approaches.

The general conference was monitored on hot fm radio in Lusaka this afternoon.

QFM

The patriotic front first ever general conference was opened with the party president Michael Sata calling for unity among the party members.

Mr. Sata says that the holding of the convention in Kabwe’s rock of authority is a symbol of unity among the party members.

Mr. Sata says that it is also a symbol of shared vision, which has seen the number of members of the political party increasing, now standing with over 700 registered members.

The patriotic front leader added that the PF will remain committed in practicing intra party democracy as one of the main priorities of the party.

Mr. Sata has called on the members of the patriotic front members to vote for leaders who are compassionate.

He warns against people who are plunders and undemocratic people.

And Mr. Sata has paid tribute to first republican president Kenneth Kaunda for the contribution he has made in the country.

Mr. Sata says that Dr. Kaunda has made Zambia were it is today, despite some of his infrastructure being abandoned by the MMD government.

QFM

United party for national development youths says they are not shaken by party national youth chairman Joe Kalusa’s defection to the ruling MMD.

UPND National Youth Coordinator Brian Hapunda says the party respects Kalusa’s decision as he is merely exercising his constitutional right to belong to any political party of his choice.

Hapunda says the youths in the party are not worried as the party is an institution that stands on firm structures of operation and not individual centered.

He pointed out that whilst other party members are leaving the party for greener pasture, a multitude of other well meaning citizens who share the dream of a better Zambia have continued to join the UPND.

He says it is unfortunate that despite being independent for 47 years, citizens in the country have continued to wallow in extreme poverty owing to failed economic policies by the MMD government.

Hapunda has since urged youths in the party to continue selling the candidature of party president Hakainde Hichilema as there is no doubt he is the best leader for the country.

[ QFM ]